iCIMS Hire Expectations™

Recently, I have read a number of articles regarding top talent workers who are stuck in jobs that they are over qualified. One article in the Wall Street Journal highlighted how difficult it will be to keep those workers on board once the economy turns around. After I read that article I had a thought…If these highly qualified workers came to my career site looking for a job that was better suited for them, would I be able to pull them in to apply? What a perfect chance to pull in some “A” talent and make my company even stronger. So, ask yourself: is your career site up for the challenge of attracting top talent?

When a candidate arrives at your career site, it is crucial to hook them in immediately by explaining why that candidate should come to you. The career site should give candidates a clear window into the company: what it would be like to work for you and why they should apply. Here are a few tips:

1. It is essential for recruiters to CLEARLY convey your company’s benefits. And, maybe you should even consider offering more:

• 401K Contribution Matching
• Stock Options
• Competitive Pay
• Medical Benefits
• Paid Time Off
• Tuition Reimbursement

2. Corporate social responsibility is also an important ideal you should promote to your candidates. How much does your company give back to the community? This could be what sells a candidate on your company over a competitor.
3. It’s always good to give candidates a quick insight into what it would be like to work for your company. And employee testimonials are the easiest way to do that. Are there any stories about your top producers or best employees that you could upload? A few stories or public recognition about these employees will show the candidate what makes a great employee at your company. It also shows that you value your top people as well as gives candidates the measurements they need to know to become a top producer at the company.
4. Take a look at what your top competitors are doing. Why you ask? Most candidates who are applying for a job at your company are probably also applying for a position with your competitor. Relating to that, your competitor’s employees may also be looking to make a move, which means they will also be looking at your career site!
5. Submitting employee referrals should be simple. Referrals are vital to some companies so ask yourself this: Is it easy for employees to refer top talent??
6. How easy is it to apply to an open position? Try applying to one of your own jobs and see how long it takes to complete. Remember that most traffic on job boards comes between 10 am and 3 pm, which is lunch time across the States. This means that most people are looking for new jobs while at their current jobs. If you are going to make a candidate jump through hoops while applying, they will most likely abandon the application for fear of being caught. Your application process should:

• NOT make the candidate fill in the same information repeatedly.
• Be relevant to the type of job (hourly vs. salaried).
• Be written accurately with qualifications and requirements clearly stated.
• Have applicable screener questions.

7. Try displaying links to your social media pages on the career site. It’s unfortunate but the lack of social media on your career site could signal that you are not keeping up with the industry.

Your company is investing thousands of dollars to drive candidates to your site. And, as we wait for those highly qualified candidates to make their career move, are you doing everything you can to impress them? This year could be a huge year for top talent recruitment and a quality career site could be the edge you need to get those “A” players!